Motorists are once again facing trouble at the pumps.

Not only have petrol and diesel prices gone through the roof because of the war in Ukraine but residents in some parts of Kent are now being hit by a double-whammy as climate change activists barricade fuel depots restricting supplies.

Many petrol stations in Kent have already run dry and those with fuel are quickly emptied by panic-buying drivers.

Motorists on the Isle of Sheppey, Sittingbourne and Canterbury are all reporting difficulties finding fuel to fill their tanks.

Yesterday (Thursday) afternoon only one of the Island's three garages was open after both Tesco and Morrisons supermarkets ran out.

The BP garage at Queenborough Corner was still selling petrol but only had top-of-the-range Ultimate diesel left at 199.9 a litre.

Tesco, which had been selling petrol at 156.9p a litre and diesel at 168.9p, insisted it had been open "every day" but admitted supplies were snapped up quickly with desperate drivers "filling to the brim".

This morning motorists gridlocked Sheerness trying to get into the store in Bridge Road after news leaked of a fresh tanker delivery.

Alerts on Facebook meant there was a rush on Morrisons at Neat's Court retail park, Queenborough, yesterday morning leading to queues stretching back to the roundabout on the A249 Brielle Way. By late afternoon supplies had dried up.

One man posted: "Plenty of fuel off the Island. It's just the greedy idiots who only think of themselves especially when there is no shortage anywhere."

Others reported similar difficulties in Sittingbourne.

Paul Dennis said: "Yesterday my daughter tried seven petrol stations on Sheppey and in Sittingbourne without any luck."

There were also shortages in Canterbury with one motorist trying five petrol stations without any joy.

One woman posted: "Morrisons told me the tankers are needing police escorts so it's a slow process. We need to be patient and understanding of people who need the diesel or petrol to keep doing their jobs and get to schools or hospitals."

Neil McLennan, who runs a fleet of nine taxis for Sheppey-based i-Cars, admitted: "It's becoming a real pain. Normally we'd fill up when needed but the queues are becoming a nightmare.

"It would be fine if people just bought the fuel they needed but our drivers are seeing people filling up cans on the forecourts as well."

He added: "It seems to be more of a problem on Sheppey and in Sittingbourne. One of my drivers had no problem filling up at Gatwick and another found plenty of fuel in Medway. Perhaps it's because this area is being serviced by the Tilbury depot which is being targeted.

"The problem is, as soon as a garage has petrol the world and his wife descend on it. Sheerness was gridlocked this morning after a tanker delivery to Tesco."

There are also problems in Folkestone, where there are queues outside petrol stations in town.

The Shell garage in Cheriton has run out of petrol, with queues stretching for a third of a mile down the road.

Pressure group Just Stop Oil, an offshoot of Insulate Britain, and activists from Extinction Rebellion began protesting outside fuel depots on Friday.

Activists say they have dug a network of tunnels at the Navigator Oil terminals in Thurrock and Grays. Andrew Smith from Extinction Rebellion told The Times: "Right now, governments are choosing to exploit the crisis in Ukraine to hand out oil licences and continue the fossil fuel economy that's destroying us."

Kent was last gripped by fuel shortages six months ago during the height of the coronavirus pandemic when a shortage of tanker drivers squeezed supplies.

An Essex Police spokesman said officers had been working round the clock for the last week to deal with the protests in Thurrock.

They added: "Today marks one week since the beginning of the protests. So far, we have made 270 arrests in connection with the protests.

"Fuel transportation has continued and there is no need for any panic buying."

"Overnight, our officers made two further arrests in the Thurrock district while, early this morning, a group of protesters arrived in London Road, Purfleet.

"We are currently in the process of making 65 additional arrests."

Deputy Chief Constable Andy Prophet praised the commitment of officers involved in the operation for the last seven days.

He also said Essex Police was working closely with fuel distribution companies and strongly encouraging them to reinforce their security plans at each site.

He said: “First and foremost, I want to pay tribute to the officers who have responded around the clock to these incidents.

“Their commitment has allowed us to maintain a 24/7 presence in the area throughout the last week. This has not eliminated the disruption but has kept it to a minimum.

"Fuel transportation has continued and there is no need for any panic buying.

“This has put a real strain on the force. One of the things I’m focussed on is what more the fuel companies can do to protect their infrastructure, perhaps using private security.

“If those measures are put in place, policing can deal with these incidents quicker and further reduce the disruption being caused."

So far, policing the protests in Thurrock has cost Essex Police in excess of £1 million.